The invention relates to a system comprising a plurality of information processing apparatuses to produce data and a server for receiving the data from the information processing apparatuses and for outputting by using an output apparatus and, more particularly, to the method of controlling programs for printing and apparatus which are suitable in the case where, when a server is used as a printing apparatus, a plurality of information processing apparatuses in which commands to control the printing apparatus are different are connected to the server with the printing apparatus. The invention, further, relates to an output control system of a server which is suitable in the case where the server has a spooling function such that an output request of data exceeding an amount which can be processed by an output apparatus in a unit time is received from information processing apparatuses and the output data concerning the output request is sequentially generated according to a predetermined order.
In recent years, from viewpoints of the reduction of the system costs and the effective use of the office space, a system which consists of a print server which has a printer and a plurality of information processing apparatuses is widespreading. Hereinafter, the information processing apparatus is called a client and the server is called a print server as necessary. Generally, the clients and the print server are mutually connected by using a communication medium such as an LAN (Local Area Networks) or the like and the clients transfer the print data to the print server through the communication medium, thereby printing.
The following problems, however, occur by the recent situation such that various kinds of information processing apparatuses including general computers and small personal computers are mutually connected by a communication. That is, the formats of the print data produced by the information processing apparatuses are different depending on each information processing apparatus or application programs executed on each information processing apparatus, so that it is difficult for the print server to cope with the formats of such various kinds of print data. Therefore there are limitations in the kinds of documents which can be printed by the print server or in the printing function of the print server which can be used by the information processing apparatuses. For instance, only the characters can be printed or the like.
As an example of a conventional printing system in which a printing apparatus is commonly used by a plurality of information processing apparatuses while solving the above problems, there is a system shown in "LOCAL AREA NETWORK", issued by Maruzen Co., Ltd., pages 229 to 256. That is, the information processing apparatuses convert the document data into the print data of the common format which is independent of the kinds of information processing apparatuses or application programs and transfer the print data to the print server, thereby printing. Therefore, it is sufficient that the print server can accept only the print data of one kind.
As an example of the printing apparatus which can cope with the printing of the application programs of the various kinds of information processing apparatuses, there is also an apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2-5123. That is, when the various kinds of information processing apparatuses request the printing apparatus to print, before the document data to be printed is transferred to the printing apparatus, the print programs used by the application programs of the information processing apparatuses are transferred to the printing apparatus.
As another example of the conventional printing system, there is a system as shown in "JSTAR WORK STATION" issued by Maruzen Co., Ltd., pages 200 to 204 and 227 to 233. That is, after the clients which use the print server converted the document data into the print data, and then they transfer to the print server. The print server accepts the print data from the clients and stores such as print data as files. The files in which the print data have been stored are converted into the print commands in accordance with a predetermined order such as an accepting order from the clients or the like. The print commands are transmitted to the printer, thereby printing. With the above method, the print server can accept the print data exceeding the processing capability in an unit time of the printer from the clients. Such a mechanism is called a spooling function of the print server.
Reference may further be made to JP-A-61-125663 which discloses switching-over of programs (these programs are executed in a data processing apparatus) on the data processing apparatus side in order for the processing apparatus to carry out controlling in accordance with the type of an input/output apparatus to be used.